Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Weekly Update to February 12

Did more crosstraining this week than running.  Lots of walking in Rio de Janeiro.

   I swam about a thousand yards of laps in the pool at the Copacabana Palace, and got a compliment from a retired swim coach.  She said my freestyle and my backstroke technique were "absolutely perfect."  And that she could not think of a thing to make them more "beautiful."
  Wow.
   So I showed her my fly stroke.
   "Well,  not everyone can do fly," she said.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

On the Azamara Journey, Off the East Coast of South America

1/31
Three miles on the treadmill in the gym.

From my Facebook post about running on 2/5

My Garmin 205 DID work in South America, but the numbers were upside-down. Actually, it took a while to connect, but worked great after I said "yes" to "have you traveled hundreds of miles since last use?" 

A funny note. We were under way for our two days at sea. I had just woken up, put on my running gear, and planned to run a quick three-miler before breakfast on the jogging deck. I turned my watch on while I walked down the hall, pitying the poor runners who had to count laps on the track. Thirteen laps to the mile, that is a lot of counting! 

While in the elevator to the top it dawned on me. The ship was cruising at sixteen knots. Ooops.

I counted laps

Running Tourist

  When I decided to take up running at age 40, I realized that if I wanted to run, I would.  If I saw running as another task to check off, I did not run.  I needed to find ways to enjoy running.
   With all the "NO TRUCKS ALLOWED" signage around the country, I found that in my running shoes, I was never over 13 feet tall, or 70 feet long, or even over 10 tons.  I could go where I wanted, and see things I could not see through my windshield.

A running tourist was born.

   Since then I have run as a way to see the sights.  I have run through Manhattan, NYC, along the coast in St Thomas, USVI, around Cook Inlet in Moorea, French Polynesia, even through the Vincymas Parade in St Vincent in the Grenadines.
   Our city tour in Montevideo, Uruguay, was fun and informative, but the urge to run through the streets of this city was almost overwhelming.
   I took off from the cruise ship,while my Garmin struggled to find a satellite it recognized.  I trotted down some narrow, none-too-savory streets in the docks district, then came out onto a pedestrian boulevard with shops and the tantalizing smell of restaurants every few hundred yards. 
My Garmin finally beeped and asked if I was inside. "NO."
   "Have you traveled hundreds of miles since your last use?"
   "YES."
   The watch went back to searching as I continued running across the peninsula and back to a path that runs along the water.  Finally I heard a beep, and found that the Garmin was tracking me again.
  A few other people were running in the 90 degree heat, but most were bicycling along the path, or fishing in the waters.  The miles flew by as I figured out the people with the nets, scoops, and even plastic grocery-store bags were fishing for jellyfish.  I have no idea why anyone wants a jellyfish, but I guess that they do.
   I saw a beach in the distance, and decided to run that far, and turn around.
   I ended up with seven miles (or so), a sunburn, and great memories.


Sunday, January 29, 2012

Weekly Update to January 29

Not a great week for running.  We were getting together what we needed to do for a last-minute trip to South America.  Packing, planning parking for the truck, getting our Brazilian visas, and a number of other details took up all our free time.  Running team means that most of my off-duty time is spent moving down the road.  Opportunities to run vary from week to week, but are generally limited.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Weekly Update to January 22

Got over ten miles this week.  Chest cold is gone, the weather is cooperating.  Now I just need to get back the fitness I have lost during the process.

1/19  Irving TX
Run, bike, swim.  Three miles, two miles, 500 yards.  At the Ballys Fitness.

1/22  Wendover NV & UT
5.5 miles in 53:48.  Still a bit chilly, but kept up my 9:30/mile pace up pretty well.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Weekly Update to January 15

Only 7 miles this week.  Five of the miles, in 48:36, were a quality run in Boise ID on the path across the street from the Flying J truckstop on exit 54.  It was 20 degrees and calm, but the chest cold that had been keeping me from running seemed clear, and my heel did not hurt at all!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Weekly Update to January 8

Starting to build miles with the new stride.  No increase in heel pain since I started the mid-foot strike.  Whoo-Hoo!

1/4 Altoona IA
Two miles and some yoga while the sun was going down.  Great sunset!

1/5 Little America WY
Another amazing sunset.  Another two miles with some yoga postitions thown in.

1/7 Irving TX
Tempo run, 3.2 miles in 30 minutes.

1/8 Henderson CO
Tempo run, 3 miles in 30:28.  Got off pace a bit.